The male characters may often be the central drivers of the narratives in August Wilson's work, but it's the women who are considered the theatrical backbone.

Journalist Charisse Jones led a conversation on the women at the center of the cycle — Aunt Ester in Gem of the Ocean, Rose in Fences, Berniece in The Piano Lesson and Risa in Two Trains Running. She was joined by Seret Scott, award-winning actor, playwright and director of numerous August Wilson productions; actor Ebony Jo-Ann, who played the title role in The Greene Space's reading of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; Michele Shay, director in the August Wilson series; and actor Roslyn Coleman, who appeared in our reading of Joe Turner's Come and Gone.